The start-up co-founded
by Thulisile Volwana and Sabelo Sibanda is an Android app that allows people to
“create wireless mesh networks using their WiFi-enabled mobile devices”.

Tuse is derived from the
combination of the co-founder’s names.

A wireless
mesh network is a communications network created through the connection of
wireless access points at or near a user’s locale. The networking
infrastructure is decentralized and simplified because each node need only
transmit as far as the next node.

It enables users
to send texts, transfer data and make phone called to other people in their
network, without the need of traditional wireless infrastructure or network
coverage.

Tuse Apps has
developed a new solution among its many that enables municipalities, corporates
and insured household owners to detect water leaks and spills across the
country.

The solution was
launched last week at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) summit in
Durban.

Volwana is optimistic about the company’s new solution and its potential to add value to insurers and municipalities.

“We have engaged
with a lot of insurance companies. They see our solution solving they problems
with water leakages and tracking them. Our solution will save insurers money
and their clients stress from disasters such as geyser burst,” Volwana explained.

According to World Wildlife Fund South Africa’s
(WWF-SA) 2016 report titled Water: Facts and Futures… Rethinking South Africa’s
Water Future, as much as “37% of water in our urban piped water systems leaks
out or is used illegally”.

With agriculture having lost billions of rands
and thousands of jobs over the last year of drought, we are reminded of Thomas
Fuller’s words – “We never know the worth of water ‘til the well runs dry.”

One thing is clear: we need a fundamental
rethink of our water sector and water’s place in the economy.

“We are engaging with insurers,” says Volawana,
adding that the Port Elizabeth-based start-up is also in talks with various
municipalities in South Africa to provide them with their solution to save
water.

“We are starting to engage with municipalities to
utilise our solutions. They are very excited. We will engage with Ethekwini
municipality and have already engaged with Port Elizabeth municipality. We will
also look at engaging with municipalities in Gauteng especially Johannesburg
and Pretoria,” she said.

The company is also targeting opportunities across the
African market.

“We are looking at going into the rest of the
African continent. That’s where our water leakage solution is needed and at the
ITU conference have engaged with representatives of the African countries. We
have demonstrated our solutions to them and they are happy. They feel they need
this solution.”

The water leakage solution is affordable as the
sensor is just about R99 per sensor. The valve is R7,000 and is used to stop
the water leakage immediately.

The solution comes with an app that detects and
notifies you of any water leakage and spillage. The app is accessible anywhere
in the world.

One wonders the solution is applicable to ordinary
household owners, Volwana explains: “Yes, the user users will be household owners,
but we want to go to insurers, companies, factories and municipalities to help
them save money from unwanted water leakages. That’s our target market.”